Is Scope Lapping necessary?

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Aim1

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Wondering how important scope lapping is? I don't know anyone who does it but I've know that a lot of folks do do it. Spoke to a guy at the range who stated that they shoot out to 1,000 yards and don't lap their rings. Said machining has gotten a lot better than back in the day and much tighter tolerances and quality control.


Is scope lapping necessary?


How many on here actually lap their rings?
 
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Forgive my ignorance on this subject. Wouldn’t lapping decrease the friction between the rings and the scope body, making them more likely to slip?
 
Like all things "it depends". If you spend big bucks on a nice scope (I have seen some cost more than a REM 700 that they were mounted on) would you want to bend and crush the tube. That is why one does this. When everything lines up the scope is only held in place not crush fit and torqued around, if it was crush fit that scope would be subject to changing POA due to temperature swings warping things. A cheap scope on a .22 I would not bother.
 
Diminishing returns.
Great rings on a great scope, for the average and even better-than-average user? Probably not.
For the 1000-yard-plus shooter that wants to be sure, or didn't get precision-ground rings? Maybe.
 
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I started lapping my rings when I upgraded to higher quality scopes. I was very surprised all of my ring bases were not contacting the scopes, by as much as 1/2. Lapping is simple and easy and the basic tool to do it cost about the same as a set of dies and will last a lifetime. Easy er on the scopes with better ring contact. hdbiker
 
IMHO...it depends on the rings.....cause that's what you're lapping, not the scope itself. And no, lapping does not decrease the friction/hold of the rings, but actually increases it due to the increase in surface contact.
 
Never. I used to but don’t anymore. I buy quality rings and if they are defective I return them. It has happened to me once.

Also, the brand I normally use, Warne, specifically states not to lap the rings.
 
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My friend and neighbor has lapping equipment and swears by it. Every time I get a new scope he insists on lapping it for me. What can it hurt?
 
Alec said:
Forgive my ignorance on this subject. Wouldn’t lapping decrease the friction between the rings and the scope body, making them more likely to slip?
Click to expand...

No. Lapping eliminates high spots on the ring inner surface, such more of the ring is touching the scope. Remember, your rings have gaps between the top and bottom when installed, such they will always have ability to create tension. Once the lapping mandrel is used a few times, it too is "lapped" to be slightly undersized, which is when you get your best fit for scope contact.

I check all of my rings once installed. Some need lapped, some don't - Warne, Seekins, Larue, Spuhr, Nightforce, Alaska Arms, you name it - many are great out of the box, many are not. Burris Signature Zee and Signature XTR's are the only rings I use which I don't at least CHECK with the mandrel. When you get the cheap rings like Leupold, or worse, lapping is almost guaranteed to be needed.

Can a deer hunter who never buys any scope more than $300 be happy killing deer at 200yrds and less without lapping? Sure. Doesn't mean it's right, just means they don't have very high expectations for their gear.
 
Varminterror said:
No. Lapping eliminates high spots on the ring inner surface, such more of the ring is touching the scope. Remember, your rings have gaps between the top and bottom when installed, such they will always have ability to create tension. Once the lapping mandrel is used a few times, it too is "lapped" to be slightly undersized, which is when you get your best fit for scope contact.

I check all of my rings once installed. Some need lapped, some don't - Warne, Seekins, Larue, Spuhr, Nightforce, Alaska Arms, you name it - many are great out of the box, many are not. Burris Signature Zee and Signature XTR's are the only rings I use which I don't at least CHECK with the mandrel. When you get the cheap rings like Leupold, or worse, lapping is almost guaranteed to be needed.

Can a deer hunter who never buys any scope more than $300 be happy killing deer at 200yrds and less without lapping? Sure. Doesn't mean it's right, just means they don't have very high expectations for their gear.
Click to expand...


I thought Leupold made good rings?
 
No Leupold rings I have ever installed have had better than 50-60% contact, most are less than 50% - this is their precision. The cheaper Leupold rebrand/contract rings are just as bad as any of the other junk on the market, 20-30% contact.
 
If they are not bad enough to damage the scope tube, and have enough contact/pressure to keep the scope from ever moving even the tiniest bit, you're ok.

If they don't, the level of precision you need comes into play, or if they are real bad, you'll be buying new ones, and hopefully didn't damage the scope.

A kit to check rings is fairly inexpensive.
 
This is a cheap set of bars to check alignment. It can surprise you how bad some of the cheap stuff is. And, as pointed out by VT, it doesn't matter who's name is on them if they are cheap money wise. Brownells, Kokopelli, Sinclairs, have better tools for serious work.

Precision costs money, in everything, not just scope rings.
PH Scope Alignment Bars.jpg
 
I do have a set of alignment bars. When I use them which isn’t often I turn them around so that the round ends are pointed at each other. I can tell if rings are aligned or misaligned better by looking at how the round ends align with each other. It’s not my idea, I read it a long time ago and decided to try it.
 
The only rings that you'll ever have to lap are the cheap rings,no matter the brand name on them. Don't cheap out on the rings,and you'll never have any issues.
And,Also you should always use a torque wrench/screwdriver to tighten down your base's,ring's,and scope's. That's probably the #1 reason scope tubes get damaged!

For my 1" and 30mm tube scopes,I will only use Burris Signature Zee rings on them. For my 34mm - 40mm tube scopes,I only use M10 rings from American Rifle Co.,they are the best rings made,IMO.
 
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